Crystal/Stanton Ridge

 We wanted to assess the sensitivity and distribution of today's avalanche problems at mid elevations in the Flathead Range north of the Essex area. To do so, however, we had to get up through the moat that is low elevations. and then back down. More on those adventures at the end.

• The day's most surprising observation was the water saturating the 2/14 pwl on a southest aspect. This layer is down 30 cm and sitting on a hard, thick melt-freeze crust. It propagated with moderate force in our large column test. The water and results indicate steep slopes with this aspect may be getting more sensitive with warming and meltwater production.  
• Across the ridge, on a northeast-facing slope, the January Drought Layer remains the primary concern. It's still close enough to the snow surface a rider can collapse it, it propagated in one of two large column tests, and large, well preserved surface hoar is still visible, though it is lying flat. *note - this profile was close to the ridge, where wind might have affected the surface hoar and the slab above it. We didn't dare get on the steeper slope below.
• We used ski crampons on the first 400 feet of the approach (icy trail), then hiked another 600 on dry, southerly slopes to reach the snow covered ridge.
• We managed to ski the entire descent by sticking to the north side and eventually reaching the Garry Lookout road. The skiing was pdg on E-ENE slopes for the first ~1000 feet of the descent. Would have been manageable after that, except for the logs. The logs...

5900 ft, NE: 

• HS 210. Well consolidated, right-side-up slab (4F-1F above JDL. No evidence of 2/14 surface hoar.
• JDL down 65 cm, 4F hard, 1 cm thick. Facets and large, well-preserved surface hoar.  Pencil hard crust below
• ECTP 26, ECTX on JDL. The ECT did not fail with the energy many tests have shown. We could not get a collapse by jumping simultaneously w skis off. 

5900 ft, SE: 

• HS 150.  ~10 cm moist to wet snow at surface. Moist-dry grains below.  
• 2/14 pwl down ~30 cm. Wet. ECTP 14. Sitting on 1F-P hard Melt-Freeze crust > 10 cm thick. 

At mid-elevations, the snow surface on easterly slopes consisted of ~10 cm of soft facets. Dry where more shade; moist where sun-exposed. Glopping on skins when transitioning between these surfaces.

Low elevations.... yeesh.